1. Technical Field
The invention is related to a system and process for graphically representing sequential time-dependent information or data objects on a display device.
2. Related Art
By way of background, a typical personal information manager (PIM) allows users to manage their daily schedule, upcoming tasks, and contact information. Traditionally, a PIM provides one mutually exclusive view for each type of data. For example, a calendar application or program may be used to display the users' schedule data, while an email client may be used to list sent, received, or forwarded email messages. The problem is that because both the schedule data and the email message data are both typically important to the user, the user is forced to frequently switch between these applications. One solution to this problem is to reduce the size of windows displaying different information, and then to display such information side by side on a single screen. Similarly, a user can attach a second monitor or display device to a computer and display the separate application windows on each monitor. However, as more and more programs are used for displaying time-dependant information or data, attempting to show each of these programs simultaneously becomes overly complicated and thus effectively unworkable. Consequently, the user is left to switch between applications.
One conventional PIM has attempted to address such problems by providing an integrated scheduling or calendar program with an email client in a single application window. However, this PIM only provides the number of unread email messages in the same view as the scheduling information, without providing access to the email messages, or any specific information relating to the unread email messages. Further, this PIM does not provide access to any other types of time-dependant information that may be of interest to the user.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for graphically representing or displaying available time-dependant information in a single view, in a sequential order based on a time or times associated with that information. In addition, to avoid the need to switch between applications, the system and method should provide the capability to simultaneously graphically represent time-dependant information from at least program or application. Further, again to avoid the need to switch between applications, the system and method for graphically representing time-dependant information should minimize the amount of space required to display such information.